With the Iced Fire
by The Goliath Beetle
Summary: Finally, the Water Tribe boy spoke up. "You're Mai, aren't you?" *My version of the series finale. Will include Mai-Katara interaction, and canon pairings, especially Maiko and some Kataang.* TWO-SHOT.
1. Chapter 1

With the Iced Fire

* * *

**A/N: I was rewatching the Avatar series finale. Truth be told, I wasn't impressed. Maybe it's my Zuko fan girl/Maiko fan girl/Canon friendships fan girl side rising, but it just needed ****_more. _****Also, remember that when Aang was shot with lightning, he took weeks to recover—and this is with Spirit Water. With Zuko, it took ten seconds? Yeah. Right. And Katara wasn't using any 'special' water either.**

**Also, I wanted some Maiko + Mai-Katara friendship scenes. What with the Zutara vs Maiko/Kataang war, I was intrigued to know what would happen. **

**So I've changed the ending around a bit to suit my needs. (This is what I love about FanFiction.) The story takes on from after they defeat Azula. **

**Anyway, sorry for the loooooong Author's Note. I'll shut up now.**

* * *

Zuko just watched. He stood there and he watched. And he had never experienced more pain than he did right then. In one shot, the scar on his face, the lightning through his chest, the disappearance of his mother...halted. Just for one moment, everything just _stopped. _Going numb inside, he looked on as Azula screamed.

She was held fast in ice chains. A long dormant elder-brotherly urge fired up in him, a need to protect her. He wanted to run up to her, pull her close, let her cry into him. He wanted to comfort her and tell her it would all be okay. He hadn't done that since he was four and she was two, when she had been afraid of the dark.

He could feel Katara's eyes seeping into him. He glanced at her. His knees felt weak with exhaustion. There was so much to say, so much to say to her, and yet he couldn't even feel his own breath. Zuko felt an overwhelming urge to protect Katara too. He had when he say Azula's lightning coming her way...

Finally, he collected some winded breath. "Thank you..." barely had he whispered it, his body shook. Broken, beaten, scarred, he fell backwards into blissful sleep.

* * *

_No, no, no, _Katara thought rapidly as she saw his shoulders shudder. "Zuko!" she screamed, but the girl wasn't fast enough, and he fell heavily, his head hitting the ash coated ground. "Zuko, Zuko, darn it." She bended some water out of the small leather canteen strapped to her belt, and desperately tried to revive him.

He twitched, moaned, and fell silent.

"He's dead," Azula cackled. Her voice didn't even sound human any more. Her eyes were wide and she was sweating. "He's dead, he's deeeeeeeeeead." Her voice was sing-song now, pupils dilated.

Katara ignored her. She could feel his breath. Weak, but still there. Her mind closed off to everything as she valiantly tried to make him stir once more.

"We must take him inside."

The voice was old and shaky. Katara's head jerked up. The head Fire Sage, and behind him, a host of others.

"Inside?" she repeated as a question, her voice confused and dazed.

"Inside," the sage kindly advised. In a manner she thought uncharacteristic of a Fire Nation citizen, he bent down and lifted Zuko's head in his lap. Almost with affection, he stroked the boy's hair. "He was always so very different from his father or sister." The words were spoken quietly, with perhaps a hint of sadness and pride in his voice.

Katara, along with some more sages, helped pick the unconscious prince up in a fashion that must have been very uncomfortable for him.

Funnily enough, the Fire Nation's palace remained beautifully untouched by the battle that raged outside it. But perhaps that was to be expected...Yes? Katara remained oblivious to the deep red and gold decor, and just trusted the sages to lead her to the right room.

Zuko's room was barren and pitiful. Someone had removed most of the furniture. Thankfully, a cold, hard bed, and a few chairs and a table remained. Some parts of the walls had light patches where portraits must have hung. But they were gone now, all that was left of them were a few dustless rectangles of paint.

The prince was placed on the bed. As the sages lit some lamps, Katara realised the boy looked even paler than she expected. The girl looked at the head sage. "We need to do something about Azula. And where is everybody here?"

He replied with a grave nod. "The sages will take her to the temple. As for the servants, Azula had fired quite a lot of them before the Agni Kai...But I'll find someone to help."

"Could you also send a message to Aang, or the Order of the White Lotus at Ba Sing Se? Could you tell them what's happened and that they need to get here immediately?"

"I'll do that personally, my dear," he promised. The sages left the room, and ten minutes later, a young, shaking servant entered.

Katara looked at the servant, who was pale. She asked her, "Are you the only one here?"

"The others escaped," the woman replied in a quivering voice. "They got scared when they heard the sound of battle..."

"What about the guards?"

"The guards left too...I told them to wait, because Princess Azula would require servants, but they left."

"Oh. Okay, never mind. Can you please get some medical supplies?"

The young servant finally glanced at the bed and her eyes widened. "Is that the prince?"

Katara nodded.

The servant said softly, "Agni, Agni." Then she hurriedly left to get the supplies.

Good. So that was out of the way. Katara sighed loudly and sat beside Zuko. Watching him wince, she let herself fall apart, if just for one moment.

Her eyes teared up, and she cried. She cried for Zuko and Sokka and Suki and Toph and Azula and Ozai and Iroh and Appa and Momo. She cried for Teo and Pipsqueak and The Duke. She cried for her father, and she cried for her mother. Then finally, she cried for Aang.

AangAangAang. She cried for his safety and she cried for his love and she cried for their friendship. She wept because she was stupid. She should have told him how much she needed him. Darn the war and its rules. So what if it wasn't the right time? Now, sitting here, she didn't even know if he was alive...

She stopped. She wasn't going to let herself think like that. Of course he was alive. They all were. And winning. Hastily she wiped here tears. She wasn't going to be seen like this. Not by a Fire Nation palace servant.

Katara looked at the medical supplies that she was given. Spirits, she could have healed an entire village with the amount the royal family had to themselves. Thanking the servant, she quietly got to work. Zuko needed bandages. The burn mark was deep and had broken skin. He was bleeding profusely.

The girl worked for the better part of an hour, and when she was done, she sat back on the chair and fell right to sleep.

* * *

"KATARA! KATARA!"

She could hear mumbling voices somewhere in the distance, but she was too tired to care. Her eyelids, weighed down by sleep, remained gloriously shut. She saw no dreams, and liked it like that.

There was a huge explosion as the door was thrown open—

She woke up with a yelp.

"KATARA!"

Her immediate response was the attack stance, but her eyes met Sokka instead, leaning heavily on Suki. She cried in joy and went to hug him. "You're hurt," she exclaimed as she pulled apart from him.

"He's alright, aren't you Snozzles?" Toph interjected—Katara hadn't even noticed her there.

She looked at Suki and then back to Toph and Sokka. "Where's Aang?" her heart pounded. She must have looked petrified, because Suki gave her a reassuring smile.

"He's alright. He's with Iroh. He defeated the Fire Lord, but Ozai's still alive. They're putting him in a near-by prison. They'll be back in a few minutes, don't worry."

She stared at Suki. In her heart swelled a balloon of joy. "Ozai's gone?!"

"He's still alive, Sweetness. Aang took away his bending."

"He what? Oh, it doesn't matter! Ozai's gone!" Katara laughed happily and embraced her friends.

When they separated, Sokka gasped. "Is that _Zuko_?"

"What's wrong with Zuko?" Toph barked. She couldn't see him, of course. He was on a bed, not the ground.

"Just sit down, Sokka," Katara ordered. "I'll tell you guys everything."

* * *

When the Dragon of the West entered his nephew's room with Aang, he got exactly what he was expecting. In his mind, the words of the Fire Sages' message churned into mush.

_Azula is defeated and is in a critical mental condition. Prince Zuko is seriously injured by lightning, but he is alive. Katara of the Water Tribe is unhurt and he is in her care. Come immediately. _

He had taken a slight shuddering gasp when he read that. _Prince Zuko is seriously injured by lightning. _

_Seriously injured by lightning. _

_Prince Zuko is seriously injured. _

Iroh closed his eyes, and focused on the most important thing. _But he is alive. _

"Zu...Zuko?" he rasped when his eyes fell on the unconscious body lying limp on the bed. An intense feeling of deja vu filled him as he remembered seeing Lu Ten in just a condition like this. Except that his son had been crushed under a pile of rock...Tears came to his eyes, and he knew not which boy he was crying for. Lu Ten, or Zuko?

Deep inside him, he knew he was crying for both.

Discounting the young blind Toph, there were four pairs of eyes watching him as he broke down. Gingerly, he held the prince's listless palm. There were no words, no quiet whispers. The interaction between nephew and uncle was simple and poignant. The tears. They said so much.

The room sat in silence, the emotion being too much for words to comprehend.

After what seemed like hours, Iroh stood up. He looked at all of them, and rested his eyes on Aang. "I have some business to attend to at Boiling Rock," he explained.

"What are you going to do there?" Sokka asked, cautious.

But Iroh didn't answer. He just gave him all an undecipherable look, glanced at Zuko, and then walked out.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry this was so long. The next chapter will have lots of Katara-Mai interaction, which was the whole point of this story. Thank you for reading, and please leave a review. They make me as happy as a long drink of Cactus Juice :D **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the last chapter. It's loaded with lots of Maiko and Kataang and is complete fluff...for the most part, anyway XD And there's also a some Mai-Katara interaction, as promised. Enjoy! :P**

* * *

The next day, a woman clothed in black swept in. She ignored the gasps from everyone, and tore towards the bed. You wouldn't have believed she was a noblewoman. Her hair was askew, her face was dirty, and until twenty minutes ago, she had been wearing a orange prison jumpsuit.

"Zuko!" she cried, showing more emotion in that one moment than she had in her whole life. She sat beside him, and her hand gently stroked his face. He remained completely unconscious.

There was a silence then, one that she ignored completely. General Iroh would still take a few minutes to come—he was talking to some people from the White Lotus—but she'd rushed forward, desperate to see Zuko.

Finally, the Water Tribe boy spoke up. "You're Mai, aren't you?"

His sister sarcastically added, "Yeah, she's tried to kill us a lot of times, remember Sokka?"

Mai ignored Katara and looked directly at the warrior. He sat in a chair, his foot tied in bandages. "Yes, I'm Mai," she replied, her voice deadpan.

"You saved our lives at Boiling Rock..." Sokka murmured. "Thank you..."

She lowered her eyes for a moment. Through the floor, Toph felt Mai's heart racing: a rollercoaster of emotion. Then, with absolute uncertainty, she responded, "...Yeah. Well. No problem."

Suki piped up, "No, really, we mean it. We wouldn't have made it through without you."

Mai shrugged. Toph felt the woman's heartbeat become calm, at least a little bit. "We all have our Eureka moments," she replied simply. "Zuko's was during Black Sun, I guess." At the mention of his name, her eyes flew back to him. Her face suddenly looked worn with worry. "What...exactly happened?"

"Azula...she shot him with lightning." Katara lowered her eyes, for some reason, filled with shame. "She was aiming for me...he got in the way."

Mai looked onto the man she loved, and watched him take a shuddering breath. "That's Zuko," she said sadly. "Chivilrous jerk."

"He's been unconscious like this for four days," Katara ventured further. For some reason, their enemy (?) just appeared downright vulnerable right now, and Katara lost the desire to be snide. As she watched the girl, she had to admit that Mai looked close to breaking down. The way she caressed Zuko, stroking his cheek, playing with his hair, squeezing his hand...It reminded her strongly of the times when Sokka and Suki were displaying affection to each other.

Iroh walked in. Even his large figure seemed awfully subdued. "I finalized things about Azula. She'll be staying at the country's best mental institution."Maybe Katara was imagining it, but she thought she heard a little bit of sorrow in his voice. Iroh looked at Mai, and nodded. The girl lowered her eyes.

"I'm not surprised she lost her mind," Mai said quietly. "She was never particularly stable." Her voice was clear of any sorrow. She sounded downright callous.

"I see you've met Mai," Iroh said, looking at everyone in the room. "Mai, this is Katara, Sokka, Toph and Suki."

"I know."

"Well, I figured a formal introduction was in order." He approached the bed. Voice going weak, he asked, "How's Zuko?"

"He's hurt." There was an edge to Mai's tone; a quality that it hadn't possessed before. "He's hurt. He's unconscious, and he's reckless and if he survives this, he'll be lucky because no-one survives Azula's lightning. No-one." And then, without warning, her voice broke. She wasn't crying, exactly, but she was close.

Aang looked desperately at Katara. The Waterbender shrugged, shock on her face as obvious as it could be. "Hey, I survived it," Aang said, "I survived it, Mai."

"You're the Avatar," she snapped. Was that a snarl in her usually composite voice? Like a gust of the wind, she got up, turned on heel and walked out, saying, "I'm starving." The door slamming made the room reverberate, and left behind a very awkward silence.

Iroh shook his head. "Alright...Pakku is going to try and contact your father, Sokka, Katara."

"I'll go help him," Sokka said immediately. Even Katara looked up, but she was hugging herself.

"Alright...Suki, you'll go with him, won't you? I'll stay here. Toph, what about you?" The young Waterbender sniffled a little.

Toph seemed to take hint. Ordinarily, she would have argued, but this time, things were different. "Come on Sokka, Suki." Her lack of nickname usage was a poignant indicator of her mood. From her very posture, it was clear she was pensive, but she still paddled forward with the usual enthusiasm. Even Iroh exited with them, leaving Aang and Katara by themselves.

Another awkward silence. Katara just wanted to die. But for once, Aang pulled himself together, and embraced her. "I'm so glad you're alright, Katara," he whispered into her ear. "I was terrified when I saw the message the Fire Sages sent."

When they pulled apart, she forced her blue eyes into his, waiting for the right moment, the correct emotion to strike upon. But it never came, and she felt her heart break. "I was scared for you too," she responded quietly. Then, after a small pause, "Did you really take away the Firelord's bending?"

The Avatar nodded vigorously. "It's a long story...It involves a giant lionturtle."

A phantom laugh escaped her mouth before even she knew what was happening. "A what?" she said, and giggled like a child with candy. The mirth was so strange, and yet so honest. After all, why shouldn't she laugh? They'd won, hadn't they? And she was here, with Aang! Everything would be alright, one way or another. From now on, the only route left for them was the way up. The worst was over.

He looked startled, but only for a moment. His eyes looked hundreds of years older and hundreds of years wiser, but he threw his head back, and the free, careless mirth belonged to the twelve year old he truly was.

* * *

Peace.

Let there be war and blood and pain all around.

But under the tree, with toasty summer air. The turtleducks calling to each other. Sunlight slides down the rich emerald leaves...

And that spot was the definition of peace.

It was where Mai first saw Zuko. It was where Zuko used to sit. It was where Ursa watched them play, and chided them when she saw mud drip down their clothes. Memories so clear they should have been framed before they vanished...They thought that the childhood games would last forever.

Mai never let anyone see her cry. And this is where she let herself go. Curling into herself, being her own barrier against the world. Tears were like autum leaves falling from tired branches. Her throat hurt with the breathless sobbing. All she wanted was Zuko. His arms. Around her shoulders, holding her together, making her feel safe.

She couldn't go on without him. She knew that. And a ghost inside of her told her she was going to have to start practicing. Azula was a storm. No-one survived her...no-one ever did.

Mai was no stranger to being alone but today she really felt _lonely. _Ty Lee was with her family, and Azula—who cared? Her mother and father wouldn't talk to her. They'd made it clear that she wasn't welcome. Not since she'd back-stabbed the princess. Damn them too. She had never been welcome at home anyway. Zuko...was fighting for his life.

And she was here, weeping.

A rough voice—it always reminded her of warmed rice—out of nowhere. The Dragon of the West came and sat beside her. "You know, the Avatar was right. He did survive Azula's lightning."

"He's the Avatar. He can survive anything." She wiped her eyes and looked away. Tears fell freely though. She shouldn't even have bothered.

"Not necessarily," Iroh replied, his body language patient and kind. "Everyone has their weaknesses. Aang is no different."

"Oh yes? What are his weaknesses then?" Her tone was doused in scorn.

"Haven't you noticed? He always tends to put his friendships...and his values...above his duties." He looked at Mai now, his eyes heavy with wisdom. "And anyway, Mai. You forget that Zuko is older, fitter than young Aang. He's been through extremely terrible treatment and has survived those." Iroh shivered...he must have been thinking of Zuko's scar.

"How can you be so sure?" she replied, her voice small. Mai was a child who needed comfort. Why did people always disregard that? "How do you know he'll be fine?"

"Because I've spent a long time with him," Iroh smiled at her gently. "And I know that he never, ever gives up without a fight."

"Is that supposed to be reassuring?" she muttered, giving him a tired look.

Iroh grinned, just a little. "I'm doing the best I can." He stood up, and stretched out a hand for her to take. Mai surprised even herself by accepting it and getting to her feet. "Now come, Mai. Why don't you go sit with Zuko? I'm sure he'll like the company."

"Would he even know I'm there?" she questioned, a light sprinkle of humor gracing her expression.

"Pretty girl like you, he'll wake up just to see you."

"Very funny, General Iroh."

* * *

Iroh left her at the door with a gracious bow. When she entered, only Katara of the Water Tribe stood in the room, working on Zuko's wound. Mai's eyes widened a little when she saw the size of the burn, but she managed to hold it together. The Waterbender looked up at her.

"Hey," the girl with the blue eyes said.

"Hello," Mai answered awkwardly. "May I sit here? Or do you need me to leave so you can heal him?"

Katara cracked a small smile. "It's okay, you can sit." She seemed happier than she had fifteen minutes ago, and subconsciously, Mai wondered why. But she quickly dismissed the thought as Zuko took a great shuddering breath.

"I don't understand it," Katara mumbled, shaking her head. "I healed him when he was shot with the lightning. He even managed to stand and walk...and suddenly he just collapsed."

Mai, however, seemed unsurprised. "That happened when he got his scar." She missed Katara's hawk-like glance at her face.

"His scar?" the Water Tribe girl asked.

"Yes...he fell unconscious for three days...and then he woke up for an entire twelve hours before falling into a near-coma again. I was there. And when he woke up a week later, he was told to leave the kingdom...I was there then too."

Katara cocked her head to one side. "You were childhood friends with him?"

Mai glanced at her and nodded once.

"And now you're his..."

"Girlfriend, yes. Or I was, anyway. I don't know. It's too complicated."

Katara laughed. "Complicated? I know what that's like, believe me. Sokka said that you saved their lives at Boiling Rock, though, right?"

Mai shrugged. "Like I said, we all have our Eureka moments." She felt awkward around this girl. Something about Katara invited a sense of calm. Calm that Mai was unaccustomed to around Azula. No, with the Fire Princess, she'd always felt edgy. And yet, Azula had made her feel independent...even though she had to answer to the girl's every beck and call.

Spirits, what a contradiction.

"About Azula," Mai started.

"She's in a mental institution."

"So General Iroh said. But I'd like to know what happened to her, if that's alright with you."

Katara nodded in a I-Don't-Mind sort of way. "Zuko said she's 'slipping', when they started to fight an Agni Kai. And she even looked weird...not in control, like she usually did."

Mai couldn't even _imagine _Azula not being in control of herself. Yes, the princess had always been unstable, but she'd also always been in command of everything she could be in command of.

"She was just blowing stuff up...and gosh, I don't know, it was insane." Katara put a hand to her forehead.

"It's alright, don't trouble yourself," Mai said slowly. Then, after a ten-minute long silence, she quietly asked, "You're a healer, aren't you?"

"Yes...why?"

"You think Zuko'll be alright?" Her voice almost broke once more, but she inhaled deeply and squeezed his hand. The warmth of his skin calmed her down a little.

"He should be, Mai, don't worry." Her smile was genuine and friendly. Without warning, she leaned over the prince's still form and gave Mai's shoulder a squeeze. Katara knew first hand how scary it was when the one person you loved more than anyone lay limp and struggling for life.

Then she realised that she'd referred to Aang as 'the one person she loved more than anyone'.

Spirits. She knew it was true, she and Aang were...well, perfect. But she also felt oddly about it. She'd known Aang since forever...It felt a bit awkward.

Katara's lips stretched into a slight smile. Awkward, but right all the same.

"I'll leave you be," the Waterbender said and got to her feet.

* * *

When the Water Tribe girl closed the door behind her, Mai sighed in relief. She had never been gifted with the ability to converse—but despite that, she thought she'd done quiet well.

Bringing her attention back to Zuko, her lips twitched. "Agni, Zuko, why do you have to be such a drama queen?" Mai had a sudden case of verbal diarrhea. "Listen, you're making a scene. And it's not fair that you get to sleep like this when everyone else is working their butts off to salvage the ruins of war—speaking of which, we won. Your father's alive though...Long story. But forget that right now, we don't need to talk about him. Let's talk about other stuff. Like...like, well, I'm out of prison, no thanks to you. And that's the last time I'm going to jail to save your sorry butt, am I making myself clear? So the next time you want to do some sort of insane stunt you better not count on me to save your life. Speaking of stunt, you jumped in front of a lightning bolt, are you _insane_?"

Mai took a huge intake of breath. "What? You're still just lying there? You didn't hear a word I said? Wow, I feel so appreciated."

Nothing.

"Damn it, Zuko!" she snapped and kissed him full on the lips. When she broke away, she muttered, "Wake up, princess. True love's kiss. Wake up."

Blazing fairy tales. It was absurd to have thought that it would actually work.

"Yeah, that's what I feel about princess stories too," Mai murmured to herself. "Fine. Be that way, you unresponsive vegetable. I'm just going to sit here and talk until my throat runs dry because I have nothing better to do and you're the only one in the room."

* * *

"...And Fire Lilies are pretty pointless because they're not actually lilies, they're roses. A complete misnomer, don't you just hate that? It bugs me. You know another misnomer? A panda-monkey isn't actually a monkey but a rodent. Evolutionary marvel, don't you think? And let's not forget ash-grass, it's actually a moss. Speaking of moss..."

All Zuko heard was _'sjkfbaskjfbkbjbbf Roses fesjkfhsflajflskfjfhefjkjbcj sdbfjd evolutionary fbjeskhfaklbfjdsbcbddsfeff moss.'_

Even his disorganized, jumbled brain could make out that this wasn't a particularly conventional conversation.

Then he felt an all too-familiar warmth against his hand. But no...She was in Boiling Rock..._I'm dreaming. No, I've died and this is heaven. _Because oddly enough, that actually was her voice. He'd never heard her speak so much though...

He concentrated as hard as he could on the words. Maybe that would provide some clue.

"...and I've always wondered why we use only black ink and nothing else for official notices because blue ink looks quite nice too. I do prefer black, I know, but blue isn't such a bad colour. Once I dropped an entire bottle of ink onto my mother's silk dress and oh boy was I punished for the rest of the week! I wasn't allowed to have dessert at even a single meal. Probably not such a loss since they had no chocolate...I love chocolate. Who doesn't love chocolate? I like it dark, but Ty Lee likes milk chocolate and..."

What? Just...what? Was this some sort of cryptic message or something? The Spirits were all into cryptic messages.

He felt cool, soft lips on his palm. That made him slightly more alert. She kissed him five times, pecking each fingertip gently.

Zuko's eyes snapped open and met hers in such a sudden way that he startled her.

"ZUKO!"

Mai just kissed him, a lip-lock that could have lasted an eternity. He lay there, dazed. "Mai?" he rasped. His voice was rough and his mouth parched.

"You're alright, you're alright!" It seemed more like she was trying to reassure herself as she went close and pulled him into a protective hug.

Never had he known her to show so much emotion. Zuko held on to her, scared that she was an apparition, a figment of his tired brain. He held her because he was scared that if he let her go, she'd vanish into thin air. He hugged her against the better judgement of his aching body.

Finally, after years of struggle, Zuko had come home.

* * *

Electricity was iced fire. Cruel and magnificent. It killed-oh yes it killed. But maybe there was more to it than met the eye.

Because united in the tragedy of lightning attack, enemies had become friends, and friends had become lovers. It was obvious that with the iced fire, the nicest things could happen.

It was probably why, Katara thought after she kissed Aang in the Jasmine Dragon's balcony, that it some beautiful things were referred to with the word _spark._

* * *

**A/N: Opinions on the ending? I'm of two minds...I've never been good with endings. Anyway, thanks for reading. Please review :)**


End file.
